Mack Glenn

For those who may not know you yet, how would you describe what you create and what drives your style?

“I would describe my music as some sort of crossover between hip hop, r&b, folk and pop music. Some influences have a stronger or softer pull depending on what I’m listening to at any given time, but I’m always listening to new music and trying to understand different genres and what makes them interesting.”

What first inspired you to start creating, and how has that inspiration evolved over time?

“In middle school I had a friend named Dillon Scott who ran a music promotion YouTube channel and showed me the visualizers he would create, it inspired me to do the same and eventually my music promotion channel started including mixes of various songs I liked. Making the mixes was the first time I touched a DAW and it opened my eyes to the world of music creation, my roots in creating really took off from that point on. I’ve always been driven by recognition I think, I just want to make things and have someone say “that’s pretty cool!” so even now I’m trying to find new ways to produce music that might surprise someone enough for them to tell me that it’s interesting or different in some way.”

What’s one project or moment in your creative journey that you’re most proud of — and why?

“I think I want to make a point here to say I’ve had a few very successful songs when I used to make lofi hip hop, millions of streams, and the one thing I’m most proud of is that after I saw that success I decided to pull all of those songs from streaming services and start over. I learned after seeing that success that I didn’t love the music I was putting out, and I was afraid to pigeon hole myself into a genre that I no longer loved. When I first made those songs i was, of course, super proud of them, but years later I would look back and feel like I no longer connected to them or wanted to show them to people as a part of who I am now as an artist. A lot of people told me it was a bad idea and it was stupid to pull my only source of revenue off the market, but because I did, I put myself back into the right mindset to create something I really connected to and loved, and push the boundaries of my music just a little bit further. If I never did that, I never would’ve learned a lot of lessons that I think are so important to who I am today.”

What challenges have you faced as a creator, and how have you learned to push through them?

“I’ve faced a lot of challenges as a creator, but the most persistent struggles are internal. The most valuable thing about creating art is the opportunity to express yourself, and often I wonder “should I make music that sounds like (insert current popular phenomenon here)” or “maybe I just suck and I should quit” but every time I have that second thought, I remember that it doesn’t matter how much I suck. It doesn’t matter how shitty or horrible or uninspired my ideas might seem to anybody else, because I didn’t make them for anyone else. I make music for me. The process of creating is a spiritual therapy that I haven’t found anywhere else, when I work on a song I get lost in it and every other self deprecating, anxiety inducing thought.. just goes away. It’s a calming, invigorating process that provides so much value to my life, no matter how successful it becomes. So yes, I have doubts CONSTANTLY about myself and my art, whether it’s good enough or worthy of being shared, but in the end I always remind myself what music means to ME and how it’s helped ME at every step of the way through my life, and that drives me to keep creating, every day.”

Who or what continues to inspire you today?

“So many things inspire me, right now I’m hugely inspired by the album “SNOEY” by Zack Villere. He made an album that not only is an absolute pleasure to listen to, but also tells a story in a more literal sense. The album follows a girl and a boy walking through the forest when suddenly the man falls down a hole and the woman meets a creature who’s been outcast from his species because of his love of singing. The music on this project stands on its own, but the storytelling adds an element of curiosity and suspense that I just love. I am inspired to incorporate story telling elements into my own projects. But also I’m inspired by every great song I hear, and I listen to so much music that those inspirations change from one day to the next. I just found the song “nude” by Radiohead, which I’ve never heard before, and I think it might be one of the best songs ever made. I have that feeling a lot, but I’m in love with that feeling and I seek it out at every intersection.”

If you could give one piece of advice to emerging creators or your younger self, what would it be?

“I’d like to give some advice to younger creators. Do what you love, and be yourself. It’s a simple piece of advice that I heard a million times growing up, but I never took it to heart. I’m still learning to be myself, but I know now how to do what I love. There’s nobody else just like you out there, and that’s what makes you special. If you’re looking at TikTok or instagram or YouTube wondering, “how can I be just like him! Or her!” The key is to be you, and embrace that reality as much as you possibly can, as early as you can. After you grow up a bit it gets harder to change, you don’t want people to look at you and wonder why you’re acting different.. and that’s something I really regret. For a long time I didn’t show myself as who I really wanted to be, or tell people about what I really loved and embrace that side of me. If I had done that when I was younger I think my life today would be a lot less uncomfortable and a lot more honest. So tell people what you love, and really own it. Because people will come to love you for who you are, and those people are the people you really want to surround yourself with. Life is so confusing, just be yourself and everything will be okay.”

Listen to “your father” by Mack Glenn, OUT NOW

From YouTube visualizers to genre-bending soundscapes, Mack Glenn’s story is one of curiosity, reinvention, and fearless self-discovery. He’s not afraid to burn down what no longer represents him and rebuild from the ground up. Driven by honesty and emotion, Mack is evolving into an artist who doesn’t just make music—he builds meaning. His journey is still being written, and if his passion is any indication, the best is yet to come.